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Jordan extremist 'happy to see the horror' of bombing

President Obama said the government does not yet have all the answers on the deadly Boston Marathon explosions. Separately, Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said "there is no suspect at this time," and that there have been no arrests.
VPC

AP
8:34 p.m. EDT April 15, 2013

Medical workers aid injured people at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon following an explosion. Two explosions shattered the euphoria of the Boston Marathon finish line on Monday, sending authorities out on the course to carry off the injured while the stragglers were rerouted away from the smoking site of the blasts.(Photo: Charles Krupa, AP)

Story Highlights

Mohammad al-Chalabi was convicted in 2003 of plotting to attack Western diplomats

'Let the Americans feel the pain we endured by their armies,' he said

One Mideast counterterrorism official said it looks like the work of an organized terrorist group

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — The head of an extremist Jordanian Muslim Salafi group said early Tuesday that he was "happy to see the horror in America" after the explosions in Boston.

"American blood isn't more precious than Muslim blood," said Mohammad al-Chalabi, who was convicted in an al-Qaeda-linked plot to attack U.S. and other Western diplomatic missions in Jordan in 2003.

"Let the Americans feel the pain we endured by their armies occupying Iraq and Afghanistan and killing our people there," he said early Tuesday.

Al-Chalabi served seven years in prison for his part in the foiled attack. His group is outlawed in Jordan.

A Mideast counterterrorism official based in Jordan said the blasts "carry the hallmark of an organized terrorist group, like al-Qaeda." He did not give actual evidence linking al-Qaeda to the bombing.

A mourner reacts during a candlelight vigil held at the Cambridge, Mass., City Hall. (Photo: Matt Rourke, AP)

Hundreds gather in Garvey Park in Dorchester near the home of Martin Richard for a candlelight vigil in honor of the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. (Photo: Michael Ivins, USA TODAY Sports USA TODAY Sports)

This image from a Department of Homeland Security and FBI joint bulletin shows the remains of a pressure cooker that the FBI says was part of one of the bombs that exploded during the Boston Marathon. The FBI says it has evidence that indicates one of the bombs was contained in a pressure cooker with nails and ball bearings and that it was hidden in a backpack. (Photo: FBI via AP)

Three Boston shirts lay on a barricade at a memorial site at Boylston and Arlington Streets, a few blocks from where two explosions struck near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15. (Photo: Don Emmert, AFP/Getty Images)

People gather flowers and gifts before bringing them inside the home of the Richard family whose 8-year-old son, Martin, was killed by an explosion near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. (Photo: Jared Wickerham, Getty Images)

Members of the metropolitan special tactics and response police stand guard in front of the Taj Hotel the day after a bombing near finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon. (Photo: Greg M. Cooper, USA TODAY Sports)

A police officer lets a family leave flowers in front of the home of the Richard family whose son, Martin, was killed by an explosion near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. (Photo: Jared Wickerham, Getty Images)

People tend to an injured woman on the corner of Exeter and Newbury Streets after two explosions went off near the finish line of the 117th Boston Marathon. (Photo: Bill Green, Boston Globe, via Getty Images)

A State Police officer inspects a suspicious item on Stuart Street after multiple explosions went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. (Photo: Matthew J. Lee, Boston Globe, via Getty Images)

BOSTON, MA - APRIL 15: A member of the bomb squad investigates a suspicious item on the road near Kenmore Square after two bombs exploded during the 117th Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts. Two people are confirmed dead and at least 23 injured after two explosions went off near the finish line to the marathon. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 166848252 ORIG FILE ID: 166666085 (Photo: Alex Trautwig Getty Images)

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"From the little information available, one can say it was a well-coordinated, well-targeted and near-simultaneous attack," he said. "Luckily, the amount of explosives used is small, judging from the casualty figure and explosion area."

A Jordanian security official said security was beefed up around the U.S. Embassy in Amman after the bombing in Boston.

"As the unfortunate news unfolded, we immediately stationed more police patrols around the embassy," he said. He declined to disclose any details, citing the sensitive nature of the information.

Both officials insisted on anonymity, as they were not authorized to brief reporters on security matters.